AI Tools Meant to Assist Individuals with Writing

What is Writing AI?

Generative AI writing tools are online resources that use artificial intelligence to generate text based on inputs from its users. Not only can generative AI writing tools generate text, but they also can be used to catch grammatical errors and writing mistakes.

What are some Writing AI Tools?

ChatGPT

ChatGPT understands and generates humanlike text, so it is useful for tasks such as generating content, answering questions, engaging in conversations and providing explanations.

Claude

Claude AI is an artificial intelligence chatbot. You can converse with Claude using natural language, just as you would with another person. Claude can generate various forms of text content such as summaries, creative works, and code.

Copilot

Microsoft Copilot is a AI-driven writing assistant that can help individuals working on drafting papers, emails, and more. It can create drafts of content, suggest different ways to word something that's been written, suggest and insert images or banners, and create PowerPoint presentations from the content of Word documents.

Gemini

Gemini for Google Workspace is an AI-powered assistant that can help individuals research, write, and polish content. Whether you need help composing an email reply, getting options for headlines, or targeting a specific audience segment with messaging for an ad campaign, generative AI can help you quickly deliver a first draft. By entering clear, concise prompts, Gemini for Workspace can help you create content for a variety of purposes.

How do I cite Writing AI tools?

To cite any information procurred from interacting with generative AI, it is advised that you mention the following in either the Introduction or Methodology section of any report on research you have done:

• The prompt you used when utilizing generative AI; and
• The text output that the generative AI generated. If the response of the generative AI is extensive, you should include the entire transcript of your interaction in the Appendix section.

As for the in-text citation and the information you include in the Bibliography, Reference, or Works Cited section of your work, apply the appropriate citation style's guidelines for citing generative AI.

APA Style (7th Edition)

When you cite AI-generated content using APA style, you should treat that content as the output of an algorithm, with the author of the content being the company or organization that created the model. For example, when citing ChatGPT, the author would be OpenAI, the company that created ChatGPT.

Here are some guidelines for referencing AI-generated content in APA style:

• When you reference this content directly in your text, you should include an in-text citation, and an associated entry in your reference list.
• If you have used AI tools for some part of your research, you should describe that use in your introduction or methods section, and include the prompts that you used.

When referencing shorter passages of text, you can include that text directly in your paper. You might also include an appendix or link to an online supplement that includes the full text of long responses from a generative AI tool.

While the American Psychological Association (APA) has not released official guidelines for citing generative AI, an explanation on how to cite generative AI using APA-style rules can be found on the APA Style Blog.

Chicago Style (18th Edition)

The Chicago Manual of Style provides guidance for citing ChatGPT and generative AI tools within its newly issued 18th edition, Section 14.112.

To cite AI-generated content properly in your work, Chicago style mandates that you include either a note or a parenthetical citation whenever you quote or paraphrase the output of a writing AI tool. With that said, Chicago style recommends against including a generative AI source in the bibliography or reference list of your work. This is because it is not expected that individuals have the capacity to provide a link to their conversation or session with the AI tool. Accordingly, when using Chicago style, you should treat the content of your interaction with generative AI as you would a private conversation or phone call. As AI tools begin to acquire functionality to generate a shareable link to a chat conversation, this guidance from the Chicago Manual of Style may change.

Here are some general guidelines for referencing AI-generated content in Chicago style:

• Cite the AI tool as you would the author of an article.
• If you can, describe the prompt you used to obtain content from the AI tool in the text. If you cannot do this, include the content of your interaction with AI in a footnote or endnote.
• Use the date in your citation that corresponds to the date the content was generated by the AI tool.

MLA Style (9th Edition)

MLA now provides official guidance for citing information produced by generative AI. According to MLA, individuals who consult generative AI in drafting a paper should not credit the generative AI as an author. Additionally, the description of the content of the generated product should be treated as the title of the source, as if it were an article or chapter title.

Last updated December 4, 2024

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